Electrician blew a fuse after finding film crew at police station
An electrician who blew a fuse when confronted by a film crew at Lerwick Police Station has been fined £1,700.
Colin Reid was taken to the station having failed a roadside screening test after officers spotted him driving with his headlights off in Lerwick, in the early hours of 28th January.
Lerwick Sheriff Court heard today (Wednesday) how the 36-year-old from Bothwell, near Glasgow, had been co-operative to begin with.
But when he arrived at the station, defence agent Tommy Allan said “things took a turn for the worse”.
“There was a film crew present who were filming and he took exception to that,” he said.
“In the cold light of day, what may have been a fairly mundane procedural matter has escalated into something that was more likely to be filmed.”
Procurator fiscal Duncan MacKenzie said Reid’s behaviour “deteriorated significantly” when he arrived at the station.
When asked standard custody questions, he replied with a derogatory slur against disabled people, the court heard.
Mr MacKenzie said the accused was warned about his behaviour and taken into a room to give a breath sample – but he refused to do so.
Asked why he would not give a sample, Reid replied ” you are going to f**k me over anyway, so what’s the point?”
Reid was then placed in the cells where he continued shouting and swearing at police officers and using further derogatory slurs against disabled people.
Mr Allan said his client did not usually drink and spent most of his time in the gym “concentrating on his personal fitness”.
But at the time, he said Reid was going through a “difficult personal time”.
He said Reid drank two beers and settled down to watch TV – but was called much later by a friend asking to be picked up.
“Stupidly, he decided to do that,” he said.
Mr Allan said his client had co-operated with police to begin with but was concerned about the impact on his family if he was filmed in the police station.
The defence agent said Reid accepted he should not have acted in the way he did and wanted to apologise to the officers involved.
He said the offence would have a “major impact” on his work as a high voltage electrician.
“He will struggle to maintain his employment without being able to drive,” he added.
Sheriff Ian Cruickshank admonished Reid for driving without headlights on, fined him £1,000 for his abusive behaviour in the police station, and a further £700 for failing to give a breath specimen.
He handed Reid a 12 month driving ban.
